Find in Library

This paper studies the effect of three swelling pretreatment processes (glycerol, alkaline, and molten salt hydrate) to improve the efficiency of 2,2,6,6-tetramethylpiperidine-N-oxyl (TEMPO)-mediated oxidation (TMO) to produce cellulose nanofibrils (CNFs). The novelty of this research lies in the presentation of a new approach that increases the process`s sustainability. The new pretreatment results in the reduction of both chemical reagents and energy consumption. Results demonstrate that pulps pretreated with molten salt hydrate exhibit a crystallinity index up to 50 % lower than the original fibers, while the carboxyl groups obtained during oxidation increase up to 30 %. The increase in oxidation efficiency allows us to obtain a highly fibrillated CNF with a 50 % dose reduction of TEMPO and NaBr at the same time that the energy consumption (kWh/kg) is reduced by 15 %.